


Our Kind Soldiers On

by aria_dc_al_fine



Series: Sherlyn Holmes - a Tale of Edwardian era [1]
Category: Downton Abbey, Sherlock (TV), Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Edwardian Period, F/M, Gen, Genderbending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-15
Updated: 2013-04-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 15:04:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/762755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aria_dc_al_fine/pseuds/aria_dc_al_fine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prelude to 'After the War...', Genderbent Holmes Brothers (Mycroft, Sherlock and Q from Skyfall) in Downton Abbey AU.</p><p>Having lost her fiance and the Holmes heir to Titanic, Mylene fought to keep her family home by marrying into the powerful Howard family. As the world changed around them and Mylene rose in power, her family were in shambles: Papa was dying, Sherlyn was addicted to a dangerous substance, and Quinn fell for a dangerous man. How would the three intelligent women survive the Edwardian era?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Our Kind Soldiers On

**Author's Note:**

> Other characters will come later, I swear. For now, we are focusing on Mylene/Mycroft.

_16 April 1912_

The day started just like any other morning.

Mylene woke up at the crack of dawn. Like everything else in her life, it was a force of habit.

Papa hadn’t been in the peak of health for a while. Since the beginning of the year, Mylene had stopped attending lectures at Cambridge (one of the very few with the privilege) [1] and began to tend to the family estate full time. It was challenging enough to keep the boredom at bay. For the time being.

“Lady Mylene,” Alexander, the new footman, greeted her as she appeared in the dining hall. He served her efficiently, laying down her breakfast just the way she liked it. Mylene liked him. He was bright, observant, and overall, _promising_. And Mylene had a good eye for recognising potential.

Quinn was already seated, the fourteen year old squinting as she cut her eggs. “Good morning, sister dear,” Mylene greeted, and received a startled one in return. She used to think that the expression was a quirk, but it had gone on long enough to let her think that it might be an indication of a problem.

Speaking of a problem… “Alexander, where is our copy of the Times?”

“Being ironed downstairs, Milady,” the footman hesitated for half a second. “It came late today.”

That alone was enough a foreboding.

Not a beat later, Stanley, the old butler who was now too slow but Mylene couldn’t bear to let go, appeared with the awaited newspaper, and an envelope. “Milady,” his expression was terribly grave, “a telegram arrived this morning.”

Mylene didn’t have to open it to know the content. The headline was splashed all over the front page.

‘ _Titanic Sinks Four Hours after Hitting Iceberg_ ’

Quinn caught a glimpse of the illustration of a huge ship on the papers, and frowned. “I thought it was supposed to be unsinkable.”

“Every mountain is unclimbable until someone climbs it. So every ship is unsinkable until it sinks,” Mylene remarked absently, her eyes flickering unseeingly as she contemplated the consequences of this turn of events. _Her future_. She rubbed her temple to stave off an incoming headache. “Does Papa know?”

Quinn looked puzzled. “Know what?”

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” a figure spoke from the corridor. Barely decent in a robe, her dark curly hair all over her shoulders, Sherlyn leaned on the doorway. She dragged her feet into the dining hall and yawned as Alexander poured her coffee.

Mylene gritted her teeth. “It’s kind of you to join us this morning, dear sister Sherlyn.” The one time she didn’t want to face the younger woman.

“Who’s dead?” Quinn lost her patience when nobody answered her. She snatched the envelope and ripped it open, bringing the message close to her face as she read it. She gasped, “Cousin Sherringford.”

Mylene closed her eyes painfully.

 _Her fiancé_.

The eldest Holmes daughter sighed and turned to Stanley. “Does Papa know?” she asked again.

The white-haired man looked at her with sympathy and shook his head.

“He has to find out, sooner or later,” letting out truth where they were unwanted, that’s Sherlyn all right.

Mylene’s head ached more painfully. “I’ll tell him later,” she told Stanley.

The old butler, who’d held her when she was a baby and cared for her when everyone else was too busy to, smiled at her with kindness and concern. “Things will be all right, Milady. You will make them all right.”

His trust touched her. Mylene felt marginally better.

That was, until Sherlyn opened her mouth again.

\-----------

 Truth be told, Mylene wasn’t shaken because the love of her life died or something. Mylene barely knew Sherringford Holmes, her cousin who’d lived across the pond most of his life. He stayed in the Manor when they were children, but Mylene didn’t remember much of him.

So no, Mylene wasn’t heartbroken (she didn’t think she was capable of that, actually; the only people she loved were her siblings – however infuriating they were – and Papa). But Mama had only given birth to three daughters before she was taken, and since women could not inherit, Sherringford became Papa’s heir.

And now he was gone.

Papa did not take the news well at all, despite how carefully Mylene broached it and how reassuring she’d tried to be. As a matter of fact, Lord Holmes had reacted by clutching his chest, clearly struggling to breathe. Fortunately, Mylene had had the foresight to keep the doctor around when she decided to break the news, so medical assistance was readily available and Mylene did not have to lose her Papa on the same day, but now it became even more evident that Lord Holmes would not be able to perform his duties to the Estate anytime soon.

“Milady, we are still searching for, shall we say, the next in line for the title. Please do not worry,” Mr Lawrence, the family lawyer, told the eldest Holmes daughter. Whilst he normally dealt with gentlemen, Lady Mylene was easily twice as intelligent as any Lords he was retainer to. The woman had, after all, single-handedly organised two memorials for her late cousin; one in London, and one here, in her hometown. “Your father was the only survivor of the tragic accident that befell the family long ago. It is highly unlikely that we will find any fourth nephew twice removed or something of the sort.”

“Thank you for the reassurance, Mr Lawrence,” The auburn-haired young woman, decked hat to toe in black, gave the attorney a wan, polite smile. “But I would rather we be sure before...” she trailed her voice purposefully, lest she be considered too bold.

“Of course,” the lawyer voiced his agreement. He was reluctant to discuss the next relevant topic, but Lady Mylene only stared at him with a knowing gaze. “I would rather…the entail not be broken, if I have a choice.”

Trust the woman to be braver than him. “I understand.” The man placed his cup and saucer on the table and stood up. “If that was all…?”

Lady Mylene rose to her feet as well and curtsied gracefully. "Thank you for having travelled far to be here, Mr Lawrence."

"No worries," the gentleman left with an amiable smile and a wave, escorted out by Alexander.

Mylene let herself succumb to her exhaustion the moment the lawyer left the room. She pinched the bridge of her nose.  Mylene was not particularly attached to her childhood home, but she knew Papa had devoted his life seeing to the running of the Estate, and Mama, or what Mylene could remember of her, used to be very fond of the Manor. Sherlyn and Quinn were also still too young to reside in London. Who knew what kind of mischief Sherlyn would be causing if she-

"Impatient, aren't you?"

Speaking of the devil. Mylene looked up to see her dark-haired middle sister lounging on the seat formerly occupied by Mr Lawrence. Her appearance was, for once, prim and proper; her hair neatly tucked in place, not a single crease seen on her black dress. 

Mylene huffed. "I don't understand what you are talking about."

"No?" Sherlyn's gray eyes twinkled in amusement before she took out a few envelopes from her purse. Letters, replies from men Mylene had written to. Prospective new fiances.

The auburn-haired noble narrowed her eyes and refrained from flushing in anger.

Sherlyn laughed as she placed the letters on the table. "Don't be too eager, sister dear," she mocked in a sing-song as she walked away, "no one wants to kiss a girl in black."

For the umpteenth time, Mylene sighed. She was resigned to reacting that way when dealing with Sherlyn Holmes.

TBC

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Women were not allowed to take degrees then. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wuniversity.htm


End file.
